A blog where I can show people the art I create. I call them "little worlds" because each one is unique and separate, constructed according to the internal rules I set for it, with just a touch of randomness allowed into the design, to bring it to life and make it just unpredictable enough to be interesting. I never know for sure how each design will turn out until the last line is drawn and the last block of color is applied.

Years ago, I figured out that I could make some pretty interesting geometric designs based on a simple square or triangle based grid. Drawing the grid lines on the page I was working on was kind of messy, so I looked for a solution. I created my own grid pattern on a separate sheet of drawing paper, bought a clear plastic clipboard to draw on, and positioned my grid under my sheet of drawing paper.
Then when I hold my clipboard up to the light, I can see the grid through my sheet of drawing paper and lightly pick out the points I need to set the dimensions of my next design. Problem solved! Yay!

But back in April I started to experiment with grid-like designs drawn without a grid, I like to incorporate the magical Random Element into my designs, but what if I drew a design where the Random Element was in the Grid itself?

Yeah, it felt like that!
So I spent most of May (and June) working out the details of how to draw a design without a grid, Kind of like working without a net. So, now let's have a look at what came off the slab in May!

Cheshire Cat. 5/6/15

A young lady at work saw me working on this one. I was carefully filling in all the black squares with a felt tipped pen, when she suggested that the un-marked portion looked "kind of like a grin". Well, that inspired observation stopped me from completely filling in the rest of the design - which is what I probably would have done otherwise - and instead I stole an idea from Alice in Wonderland and presented a grin without a cat!

And... since she gave me an idea that I could use, she deserves a Musey!

A Musey for that young lady at work, whose name escapes me at the moment!

In the last few years I've done drawings of the "idea" of beer, the "idea" of bacon, the "idea" of cookies and the "idea" of cupcakes; so this next one should fit right in.

The "Idea" of Sangria. 5/7/15

Keeping with the 'Off-the-Grid' theme, I tried combining an old idea with this new technique, just for the fun of it.

Off The Grid Maze. 5/12/15

Unexpected Mountain. 5/16/15

I drew this with a top-down, right-to-left, crazy-open 3-point color progression. Despite the random grid and confluence of vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines, the colors flowed inextricably into a sort of valley towards the center line of the design. I didn't like the way that looked, so I turned it upside down and then it looked like a mountain! Yay!

Rough Draft (or How to Fold a Piece of Paper in Half 8 Times). 5/19/15

I spent a lot of time at work last month (and this month, for that matter) but I couldn't be drawing every minute of the day that I was at work - management frowns on that sort of thing, for some reason. But I could pass the time when I couldn't draw but my hands were itching to do Something by folding a sheet of scratch paper in half 8 times. (Oh yes, it Can be done!)
After I did that, I noticed that the creases of the folds in the piece of paper made another kind of grid, so I flatten it out, and drew this one free-hand, with no guidelines at all! OK, I told a lie, I think I drew a few guidelines somewhere in the center of the page where it gets all scrunched up.

Totally Expected Valley. 5/28/15

This one is a sequel to Unexpected Mountain. Same sort of pattern, same sort of color progression, (but with different colors). The main difference is that I eliminated most of the diagonal lines and Didn't turn it upside down when I was done. I wanted to see if that same sort of valley would form and it did. Now I know more than I did before. I also figured out that if I draw my random grid vertically and horizontally, the diagonal lines will be crooked, but if I draw the grid diagonally, the horizontal and vertical lines will be crooked. Huh. I guess I should have seen that coming. Still, that's something I can use so I'll store that info for future reference.

And to finish up the month of May, here's a non-random grid based design.

A Different Kind of Bulgyness. 5/30/15

Oh, I almost forgot, here's a work in progress. I drew it on a piece of green paper so the white colored pencil would show.

Work in Progress 6/27/15

If you can't see much white in this design, don't worry, I haven't finished coloring it in yet.